The Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) — in collaboration with the government of New Zealand through United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) — held a training on gender-responsive peace operations for Arab peacekeepers from 10 to 13 October. As part of his official visit to Egypt, New Zealand's Minister of Defence Peeni Henare inaugurated the training with CCCPA Director-General Ahmed Abdel Latif, New Zealand's Ambassador in Cairo Greg Lewis, UNDP Egypt Deputy Resident Representative Sylvain Merlen, along with high-level representatives from the Egyptian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Interior. The training aimed to advance gender-responsive peacekeeping by equipping Arab military and police UN peacekeepers with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their duties during deployment. It was designed to strengthen the participants' understanding of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, enable them to better integrate the gender dimension in UN peacekeeping operations, uphold the UN Standards of Conduct, as well as address gender-based violence against women in armed conflicts and sexual exploitation and abuse. Ten peacekeepers from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Djibouti, and Egypt participated in the training, which is being held in tandem with celebrating the anniversary of the adoption of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. During the inauguration, Henare stated that "his country is proud to be a longstanding contributor to global peacekeeping efforts," affirming that its contributions in this regard crystalise the value it places on promoting peace and stability. He also expressed his appreciation for the CCCPA's Women, Peace, and Security training course and for creating "the opportunity to speak with peacekeepers from the region, as understanding how conflict impacts genders in different ways is an important skill." Moreover, the minister asserted that "the skills of peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution remain as important as ever; this is why the work of organizations such as the CCCPA is key." For his part, Abdel Latif conveyed his full appreciation to the New Zealander government for its support of this training programme, which "stands as a true testament to the power of partnerships in advancing peace and security," noting that both Egypt and New Zealand are strong supporters of UN peacekeeping and the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda. Furthermore, he asserted that "this training reflects a concrete commitment to strengthening the capacities of Arab peacekeeping personnel on gender perspectives and women, peace, and security." "The training also builds on the success of the 2019 first action-oriented 'Training of Trainers on Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping' that the centre delivered to African practitioners in cooperation with New Zealand, marking a step towards expanding collaboration in this area to the Arab world," he added. The CCCPA is an Egyptian public agency specialising in capacity building, convening, and research in the fields of peace and security in Africa and the Arab region. Its board of directors is chaired by Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry. The CCCPA is also an African Union Centre of Excellence and the only civilian peacekeeping training centre in the Arab world.
